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From Wiki:

Pam Zekman and Better Government Association chief investigator Bill Recktenwald purchased the tavern under the aliases Mr. and Mrs. Ray Patterson. Reporter Zay N. Smith, who wrote the series, and BGA investigator Jeff Allen posed as the bartender and manager, respectively. Sun-Times photographers Gene Pesek and Jim Frost posed as repairmen and were in charge of photographing the tavern's activities from a hidden section of the tavern built over the washrooms.

...and...

Philip J. Barasch, a local accountant, gave the new owners of the bar extensive lessons on how to keep two sets of account books to skim profits without paying tax and advised them exactly what time of day inspectors showed up and how much their shakedowns would typically cost. He also suggested including his business card with any payoffs to help smooth the shakedown process. The only officials he warned against bribing were the police, noting that "if you pay off a cop, they keep coming around every month, like flies, looking for a payoff".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirage_Tavern


I think the reason I only recall it vaguely is because it got a " yeah, so? Tell me something I don't know " reaction from lifelong Chicagoans.

FWLIW: Zekman worked for many, many years after that as a consumer reporter for the local CBS outlet.